Saturday, September 10, 2011

09/10/2011
Energy Chief Rene Almendras
informed a Senate hearing that Noynoy Aquino may do a Ramos in solving a
looming power shortage crisis that is expected to occur in the last
three years of the Aquino administration.

What is meant by “doing a
Ramos” is for Noynoy to be granted emergency powers by Congress which
he will likely get, given that his congressional lapdogs are in the
majority and always toe the Malacañang line.

Fidel Ramos, shortly
after assuming the presidency in 1992 quickly sought emergency powers
from Congress to address a then crippling power shortage that resulted
mainly from the decision of Ramos’ predecessor President Cory Aquino,
the incumbent Aquino’s mother, to mothball the nuclear plant without,
however, prepapring for its power replacement, and abolished the
Ministry of Energy (MoE) during her term that created a vacuum in energy
supply planning.

The Ramos “solution” in the long run, proved to be horribly expensive for every Filipino..... MORE

09/10/2011
From conversations between US
officials and leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, as culled
from the leaked WikiLeaks cables, the MILF apparently sees Noynoy as,
well, short of being a simpleton who is incapable of grasping the
problems of the peace process in Mindanao.

Michael Mastura, one of
the MILF peace panelists, was quoted as saying to the US official that
the Moro problem was “too complicated for Senator Aquino to understand.”
The MILF also appears to see Noy as a weakling around whom it can run circles.

There
are signs that the Moro rebels see him as such, as it is fact that they
succeeded in getting him, the president of a republic, to meet with the
MILF leaders for a secret meeting in Tokyo, where the MILF discussed
the establishment of a sub-state in Mindanao.

No head of
government or state meets an armed rebel group, secret or no, as that
would provide the rebels with a belligerency status. And in the case of
Noynoy, it was even worse, since he brought along with him his Cabinet
secretaries — including his Budget secretary, which would have something
to do with funding the MILF. Already, an initial P5 million was
released — and that’s just for sweetening starters..... MORE

09/10/2011
ARBIL — Iraq’s Kurds are
caught between ethnic ties to Kurdish rebels based in the autonomous
Kurdistan region, and heavy pressure by Iran and Turkey, which aim to
eradicate the rebels’ bases.

Iran launched major attacks against
rebels of the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) in July, targeting
their rear-bases in Iraqi Kurdistan along the Iran-Iraq border, and
shelling the area for weeks.

And in mid-August, Turkey began its
own campaign of shelling and air raids against bases of the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) in Kurdistan, which has ties with the PJAK.

“We
are in a difficult situation because there are two countries (Iran and
Turkey) telling us to control our borders so there will be no problems,”
Massud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan region in north Iraq, said
on Tuesday during a meeting in Arbil with Kurdistan representatives
based abroad..... MORE

“Because of military deployment in civilian communities, the
lives of the children are placed in great risk.” – Children’s
Rehabilitation Center
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIOBulatlat.com

MANILA – Almost midnight of September 3, seven-year old Sunshine
Jabinez was peacefully sleeping inside the house she shared with her
parents when a soldier went amok, fired his gun into the air and a
bullet found its way into Sunshine. Her shocked parents immediately
rushed Sunshine to the Pantukan District Hospital, but the child was
pronounced dead on arrival.

The Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC) in the Southern Mindanao
Region said a member of the the 71st Infantry Battalion of the Armed
Forces identified as Private First Class (Pfc) Baltazar M. Ramos fired
his armalite indiscriminately after figuring in a heated altercation
with a fellow soldier. Ramos was reportedly with several others drinking
that night in a videoke bar.

According to reports, the fight began when one of Ramos’ drinking
companions attempted to hit him with a bottle. Ramos then allegedly
took his rifle from his patrol base and went after his attacker. The
other soldiers attempted to pacify him and succeeded in removing the
ammunition magazine, but one bullet apparently remained in the chamber.
In the struggle Ramos accidentally pulled the trigger of his rifle and
his bullet flew straight into the Jabinez family’s house and hit
Sunshine.

Sunshine was a second grade elementary school student at Biasong Elementary School.

“Her parents only learned that their daughter was shot when they
heard her cry ‘agay’ (ouch),” said Edessa Sandra A. Campos, CRC-SMR’s
advocacy officer.

Campos condemned what she said was the military’s attempts to
convince the public that they are deployed in civilian communities to
further peace and development programs.

Children participate in a women’s day rally. (Photo courtesy of Children’s Rehabilitation Center / bulatlat.com)

“In reality, these peace and development teams of the 10th Infantry
Division are no different from the division’s Re-engineered Special
Operations Teams (RSOT) which are also deployed in communities. Because
of military deployment in civilian communities, the lives of the
children are placed in great risk.

Sunshine was killed because soldiers
were deployed near where she lived,” she said.
The children’s rights advocate also condemned how the AFP also
employs children in counter-insurgency operations, including to serve as
guides to track down the members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
In 2007, elements of the 67th Infantry Battalion killed Grecil Buya,
a Grade 2 student of Simsimen Elementary School, in an encounter with
the NPA. The military asserted that Grecil was a NPA child soldier and
at the time she was killed was carrying an M-16 rifle and firing at the
military. Investigations and documentation showed otherwise.

The MILF leadership, particularly its negotiating panel
headed by Mohagher Iqbal, views the “3 in 1” proposal of the Philippine
government for a peace agreement as “detached,” has “no connections” and
has in fact “derogated the past agreements and consensus reached by the
two parties in the past 14 years of negotiations.”
By MARYA SALAMATBulatlat.com

MANILA — Recent developments in Mindanao do not augur well for the
prospect of peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Yesterday the MILF condemned the
Philippine Army for its “deliberate” violation of the MILF-GPH ceasefire
after “a platoon-size troop of its 73rd Infantry Battalion (IB) under a
certain Lt Col Espuelas entered and crossed over the perimeter defense
post of the 107th Base Command of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces
(BIAF) – MILF at upper Pananag, Maasim” in Saranggani.

The MILF ceasefire committee reported the violation to its
counterpart with the Philippine government, as well as the International
Monitoring Team (IMT), which responded by going to the government
troops and informing the soldiers of their infringement of the ceasefire
accord in having crossed over to the MILF defense line. But in a report
at luwaran.com, the MILF said, the Army troops “totally disregarded”
all these.
The MILF viewed this act as a “manifestation of direct command
responsibility that does not augur well with the present situation of
the peace talks between the government and MILF.”

Increased troop deployment in other provinces in Mindanao had also
been reported in the media. Aside from violating the two parties’
ceasefire agreement, the Philippine Army’s act, said the MILF, also
violates the agreement and mechanism of the government and MILF for the
interdiction and isolation of criminal elements as mandated in the
GPH-MILF Adhoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).

Moro
Islamic Liberation Front fighters man an outpost at the entrance of the
office of the MILF Peace Panel in Camp Darapanan, Maguindanao. The
group recently rejected the peace plan offered by the government. (Photo by Karlos Manlupig / bulatlat.com)

This violation is similar to the alleged GPH violations of the Joint
Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), noted lawyer Datu
Michael Mastura, a senior peace panel member of the MILF, in a
round-table discussion with Moro-Christian People’s Alliance last week.

GPH may soon talk only to itself

Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, Chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF), said in a media interview yesterday, the MILF “will not sit down
in the GPH’s proposed talks early this month in Kuala Lumpur because
the subject of the talks is not their proposed sub-state.”

The MILF leadership, particularly its negotiating panel headed by
Mohagher Iqbal, views the “3 in 1” proposal of the Philippine government
for a peace agreement as “detached,” has “no connections” and has in
fact “derogated the past agreements and consensus reached by the two
parties in the past 14 years of negotiations.”.... MORE

“While we commend the courage of the mothers of Karen and
Sherlyn, now human rights defenders themselves, in pursuing the criminal
case, it is equally significant that the Aquino government must take
concrete steps in making the roads to justice accessible for the victims
and their families.” – Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and
Development
By RONALYN V. OLEABulatlat.com

MANILA – Mrs. Concepcion Empeño’s eyes looked tired but she was smiling at supporters.
As usual, she left Masinloc, Zambales at midnight to make it to the
hearing at the Department of Justice (DOJ). By 6 p.m. of the same day,
she has to travel back to their home. She gets there by 12 midnight and
has to wake up early the next day to go to work. She is a principal of
an elementary school.

This has been her weekly routine since the start of the hearings on
the criminal complaint she and Mrs. Erlinda Cadapan filed against
military officials linked to the abduction of their daughters Karen and
Sherlyn.
“This is tiring but we cannot stop now. Physically, it is taxing, and
financially too, but we could not give up until we find justice,” Mrs.
Empeño, now 60 years old, told Bulatlat.com after a hearing on Sept. 7.
To get to Manila, Mrs. Empeño needs to shell out P1,000 for food and
transportation. The family has meager income, with her husband Oscar
tending poultry.

The same goes true for Mrs. Cadapan. “Honestly, I am very tired but
this has to be done. We need to obtain justice. They have to surface my
daughter and the perpetrators should be punished,” she said.

To be able to attend the hearings, Mrs. Cadapan stopped her backyard
mushroom production, the family’s means of livelihood for years. She
admitted that there were times she had no money for transportation and
food but she constantly gets support from her children and her
colleagues.

Karen, Sherlyn and farmer Manuel Merino were abducted by state security forces on June 26, 2006 in Hagonoy, Bulacan.

Five years of searching

Both mothers searched military camps, morgues and funeral parlors to look for their daughters.

They filed all kinds of petition before the courts. As early as July
17, 2006, the parents of the two students filed a petition for the writ
of habeas corpus at the Court of Appeals but the said petition was
dismissed on March 29, 2007 on the basis of the military’s denial of
custody of Sherlyn and Karen. On October 24 of the same year, Mrs.
Empeño and Mrs. Cadapan filed a petition for a writ of amparo. The Court
of Appeals then granted the said writ but the UP students remain
missing..... MORE

“This is not something we can give up on easily. We are talking about
our country’s chances of securing a just and lasting peace and putting
an end to the armed conflict. These are aspirations that all
peace-loving Filipinos share, and we should persevere in the peace
talks. If there are problems, we have to find solutions to them; if
there are obstacles, then they should be overcome.”

National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) chief negotiator
Luis Jalandoni is determined to exhaust all diplomatic and principled
means to ensure that the peace talks with the Government of the
Philippines (GPH) pushes through. Even as others might find it
understandable to throw in the towel given how the GPH panel —
specifically negotiator Alex Padilla — has been rudely behaving and
speaking, Jalandoni and the rest of the NDFP’s peace panel including
Coni Ledesma and Fidel V. Agcaoili remain steadfast in pushing for the
talks.

In a forum sponsored by Pilgrims for Peace, an ecumenical formation
of religious groups and lay associations, Jalandoni and Ledesma gave the
background story on the not-so-rosy developments in the negotiations
with the Aquino administration’s so-called peace makers.

Jalandoni answered at length what exactly is going wrong in the talks
— the GPH’s refusal to uphold the Joint Agreement on Safety and
Immunity Guarantee (JASIG) and honor its word to release the NDFP
consultants in the custody of its armed forces — but not once did he
betray frustration.

“This is not something we can give up on easily. We are talking about
our country’s chances of securing a just and lasting peace and putting
an end to the armed conflict. These are aspirations that all
peace-loving Filipinos share, and we should persevere in the peace
talks. If there are problems, we have to find solutions to them; if
there are obstacles, then they should be overcome,” he said.

In the last month, the NDFP and the GPH have been exchanging sharp words
over the media. The fiery exchange was triggered by loose statements
made by GPH’s Padilla and Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Quintos
Deles saying that (1) the Jasig is no longer operable; and (2) the GPH
was under no obligation to release any political prisoner, much less
captured NDFP consultants.

National Democratic Front of the Philippines’ (NDFP) peace panelists
Luis Jalandoni and Coni Ledesma declares the NDFP’s continuing
commitment to the peace talks. Jalandoni said the NDFP will never give
up efforts to forge a principled peace agreement with the Government of
the Philippines (GPH) because “the Filipino people desire an end to the
conflict and want peace based on justice” in the country. (Photo by Ina Alleco R. Silverio / bulatlat.com)

“The NDFP always sits at the negotiating table with a readiness to
talk peace and a preparedness to uphold previously signed agreements
with the GPH. These are serious matters which we all take pains to
handle correctly and with sincerity,” he said. He seemed unable to hold
back a measure of disappointment when he explained how the GPH is
deliberately failing to carry its end in implementing previously forged
agreements on the release of consultants. Even then, however, he is
careful with his words.

“It is expected that both panels prove sincerity by carrying out the
agreements. Releasing the NDFP’s consultants is a good-will building
measure, it is true; but at the same time, it’s also a promise
previously made by the GPH when we began negotiations earlier this year
in February. As for the Jasig, neither the GPH panel nor the GPH itself
can simply declare it’s inoperable — it will only lose effect if and
when the head of the NDFP and the GPH agree to declare it so by one
party sending a letter to the other,” he said.

In any case, human rights groups assert that even now the Aquino
government continues to refuse to address the issues of torture,
enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings of Jasig-protected
individuals, among them Leo Velasco, Prudencio Calubid, Rogelio
Calubad, Sotero Llamas ; as well as hundreds of others without Jasig
protection..... MORE

Epira, the culprit behind high power ratesFailed promises of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001
Time and again the government has been promising that the
privatization of government-controlled corporations and agencies would
result in better services, lower rates and fees for the Filipino people
while bringing in much-needed funds to the government. These
privatization efforts have taken many forms: outright sale of government
assets, contracting out functions of government agencies such as the
purchase and importation of rice, Build-Operate-Transfer schemes, and
the much touted Public-Private-Partnerships of the current Aquino
government.But the Filipino people’s experience with the power industry proved otherwise.
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.comSidebar: Power firms, creditors assured of billions, while consumers burdened with Napocor debtThe big three in the power industry
MANILA – Power rates are expected to increase again this month.
Meralco, the biggest power distributor in the country, said it will
increase its generation charge by 0.085 centavos per kilowatt-hour to
5.3721 per kWh.

A household consuming 100 kWh can expect an increase of P8.50 per kWh
in their electricity bills while those that use 200 kWh a month will
have to pay P17 more for August. Households that use up 300 kWh monthly
can also expect an increase by as much as P25.50 per kWh.

The never ending increases in power rates are blamed on privatization, according to a study POWER FAILURE: 10 years of EPIRA, A people’s review on the impact of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001,
which was conducted by Bagong Alayansang Makabayan (Bayan), People
Opposed to Warrantless Electricity Rates (Power) and independent think
tank group Ibon.

According to Bayan, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira)
systematized and widened privatization and deregulation of the power
industry in the country. Epira has paved the way for private
corporations to control the transmission, generation and distribution of
electricity. Corporations that control some of the distribution
utilities also own generating plants.

Rates doubled under Epira

Despite strong opposition from various sectors, Epira was railroaded
by Malacañang’s allies in the House of Representatives and signed by
then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 8, 2001,

Epira, according to the Department of Energy
aims to “bring down electricity rates and to improve the delivery of
power supply to end-users by encouraging greater competition and
efficiency in the electricity industry.” In its website, the DOE claimed
that the Epira will make sure that the country will have reliable and
competitively priced electricity. “The strategy is to put an end to
monopolies that breed inefficiency, encourage the entry of many more
industry players, and generate competition that will benefit consumers
in terms of better rates and services.”

Ten years after, however, Bayan, Power and Ibon said Epira’s implementation is ten years of burden to consumers.... MORESource: Bulatlat.com

President
Aquino’s legacy no doubt will be marked by high prices in goods and
services in which he made no effort to stop them from rising too much.

He
has announced that he will be removing the subsidy in the riding
public’s fare of the Metro Rail and Light Rail Transit (MRT-LRT), which
automatically translates to higher fares that the rail transits will be
charging the commuters. Oil prices have been jumping weekly, and neither
has Aquino made any move to talk to oil firms for them to slow down on
the price hikes. Nor has he suspended the eVAT imposed on oil companies,
for the prices of petrol to go down.

In the case of the the
removal of the commuters’ subsidy in the rail transit, Aquino claimed
that it is unfair for taxpayers who are non Metro Manilans to continue
to pay taxes for the subsidy of Metro Manilan commuters.

But one
of President Aquino’s allies in the Senate yesterday pointed out the
lack of any justification in the government’s move to reduce subsidy in
the commuters’ fare of the MRT-LRT, which will result in a rate
increase soon..... MORE

The
plenary debates on the proposed national budget for 2012 have been
marred by the absence of so many lawmakers so much so that the House had
to adjourn shortly after noontime.

But the House leaders, led by
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Rep. Jospeh Emilio Abaya chairman of the
appropriations committee, dismissed the lack of quorum, saying that this
will hardly affect the timetable of the national budget’s passage.

This
usually translates to the House passing the most important annual
legislative measures without as much as debates or scrunity of the
Malacañang-proposed measure.

It is usual too, for the House of
Representatives, whose majority always is allied with Malacañang, to
simply pass the measure without any cuts..... MORE

09/10/2011
BACOLOD CITY — Sen. Aquilino
“Koko” Pimentel III yesterday pushed the immediate enactment creating a
system of land titling insurance in the statute books.

“If
property can be insured against floods, fire, earthquakes and other
calamities, then the same property can be insured against fraudulent
land titling too,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel issued the statement in
the wake of the resurgence of another huge land controversy in Quezon
City where many ordinary land owners are threatened to be evicted from
the homes that they purchased with their sweat and hard earned money.

Pimentel,
however, emphasized that ultimately, in the Quezon City land row, the
matter of determining ownership of the land is to be resolved by the
courts..... MORE

09/10/2011
The EcoWaste Coalition, a
toxic watchdog, yesterday asked top retailers to demonstrate their
corporate social responsibility by removing children’s products that
have been found to contain health damaging chemicals.

The EcoWaste
Coalition and IPEN, in collaboration with project partners in Manila,
Cebu and Davao, recently released the results of their investigation
showing 121 samples, or over 27 percent, of the 435 children’s products
tested were loaded with excessive amounts of toxic metals such as lead, a
neurotoxin.

Some of the tainted products were procured by the
EcoWaste Coalition from National Book Store (SM City North Edsa and
Ayala Mall-Cebu), Toys R Us (Robinsons Galleria-Quezon City, Robinsons
Place-Cebu and Robinsons in Abreeza Mall-Davao City), Toy Kingdom (SM
City North Edsa, SM Cebu and SM Davao) and other formal retailers with
official receipts issued.

The samples were screened for toxic
ingredients such as antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and
mercury using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, a device
that is routinely used by US regulatory bodies such as the Environmental
Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The
screening was conducted by Dr. Joe DiGangi , Senior Science and Policy
Adviser of IPEN, who left the country last Wednesday..... MORE

09/10/2011
The Court of Appeals (CA)
yesterday stopped the execution of a writ of possession issued by the
Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) covering a disputed land near
Visayas Avenue in Quezon City.

A
bill granting tax incentives to families participating in a foster
family program for children who are abandoned, exploited or have
physical disabilities has been ratified by the House of Representatives
for approval by President Aquino.

Bagong Henerasyon Rep.
Bernadette Herrera-Dy said the Lower House voted unanimously to adopt
the Senate version of House Bill 4481 after congressmen found no
substantial conflicts between the two proposals.
Herrera-Dy, a
principal author of HB 4481, said the Foster Care Act of 2011 seeks to
strengthen and propagate foster care for abandoned and neglected
children and minors with special needs.

“The rights of a child
must be respected and defended, all efforts must be exerted to eliminate
all conditions prejudicial to their full development,” said Herrera Dy
who also authored the so-called anti-corporal punishment on children
proposal..... MORE